Chapter 88 The Most Valuable Gift

  Isaac patiently waited for the table to be cleared and cleaned before he got to his feet. “I had Izen do the leg work for this, and it is Sera’s tailor, who she introduced me to, who actually made this. I am, however, the sole producer of this material and you would be hard pressed to get any of it from anyone, let alone in this quantity and treated to be fire proof. Well, at least as fireproof as one can reasonably expect a material to be anyway.”

  The king nodded, which was Isaac’s cue to get on with it so he did. With a flourish, and a small wall of shadows, Isaac pulled an entire corset and petticoat out of his Inventory and laid them on the table. They were actually one piece that had no seams for a weapon to slip through and the corset even had shoulders and the beginnings of sleeves in order to protect the Queen’s armpits from an assassin’s dagger.

  The Queen put her hand up to her mouth and Isaac realized that technically speaking he had just not only given the Queen underwear, but he had also just laid it on the table for all of the guards and servants to see. Isaac held his breath for a moment before The Queen slowly reached out and grabbed the hem of the petticoat. Her eyes positively sparkled as the silver thread scattered the light. “Is it to Her Majesty’s liking?” Isaac asked with a bit more of his confidence back, not that he had let anyone know that it had faltered in the first place.

  “It is even more beautiful in person.” The Queen commented in awe.

  “It also is strong enough to catch a fireball or Fable’s sword without taking any damage.” Isaac informed her. “It will obviously not do anything for the parts of you that it cannot cover, but it should help keep you alive until you retire and pass it down. Unfortunately, it cannot be resized, but thankfully the ties should allow any successors of similar body shape to be able to benefit from its protection, though I doubt any successor will look as good in it as you will.”

  “How much would an entire dress made of this cost?” Queen Eris asked him with only a quick glance towards her husband.

  “Based on the market price at the moment, six million, I believe, Izen would know better than I would. He has taken over actually selling it in order to ensure only those favorable to our interests, and yours, are able to receive such protection.” Isaac explained. “It would be awful if someone got a set of this and then had to be removed in a decade, which is why every person who is even able to buy one has received Duke Arbencroft’s direct approval. Your Majesties were always going to get your own sets, as we would not have denied you, but it was only upon meeting you did I know for certain that you receiving these gifts should become a priority.”

  “Six million…” Queen Eris’ voice trailed off.

  “Six million for a ball gown that is visually the same as one a noble would wear. It will be fancy, yes, but not truly extravagant. For that, it would probably be around six and a half to seven million.” Isaac amended. “If there are any foreign kings and queens that you fancy, I am afraid that ordering their gifts will have to wait until the ones for the Altian nobility are finished.”

  “You spoke of a set for me, though I do not see it.” King Edwin finally chimed in. Apparently he simply could not wait any longer.

  Isaac smiled and pulled out a set of pants and a long sleeved shirt. The shirt had no collar so it would fit perfectly under whatever else the king wore on his day to day, though there was a weakness in his that was different from the exposed collarbones of The Queen’s. “Unfortunatly, in order to get it on and off while still maintaining as much protection as we could, there is a seam at your waistline.” Isaac explained. “There are buttons that connect the bottom of the shirt to the top of the pants on the inside of the pants. That will be the failure point if they are put under a demigod’s level of stress, but the buttons should be fine against everything else.”

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  The king eyed the simple looking but comprehensive set of protection and nodded appreciatively. “It is truly a gift worthy of royalty.” He stated and locked eyes with Isaac. “Though words have been spoken of Serentia Von Arbencroft receiving the first set.”

  “Second, King Edwin.” Isaac corrected him and was vaguely aware of one of the royal guards shuffling slightly. “Lenna received the first set, Sera received the second, I received the third. Izen, in his wisdom, decided that you should have the fourth and fifth and he would take the sixth. If I were in his position, I would not have made the same call, though Izen is a man as loyal as he is steadfast and I have seen him stand tall in the face of armies and legends.”

  “I see.” King Edwin replied but did not say anything further. Isaac was slowly starting to get the hang of the older man’s silent words. He rarely spoke but was prone to micro expressions that one could read if given the time and had keen eyes. Isaac had the eyes and was being given the time. The King understood what Isaac was saying perfectly. Isaac was insinuating that the king praise Izen for his selflessness and valor but was also not stepping out of line and telling the king what to do. He was also making it very clear that, while Isaac liked Altia as a whole, he would side with those who had helped him before any other imagined or implied loyalties. He had mentioned time and again how Izen and Sera had helped them and he had even given Sera her drider silk gear before he had his own.

  “We appreciate your gifts.” Queen Eris told them both with an acknowledging nod. “And they shall prove themselves to not only us, but our successors as well for generations to come. For that, we truly thank you.”

  “This was the most valuable gift that we could give. A weapon is used to take as much as it is used to protect, money can be farmed and spent by the millions, but a life is something that cannot be replaced if taken properly.” Isaac replied with a nod in return. “Though I will not swear to protect you, I will offer you these for protection, as thanks to you and your kingdom.”

  There was little else spoken about before it was time for everyone to leave. The King and Queen had other business to take care of before night truly set in and the duo were led to the guest building where a light cleric met them in the sitting room. The Queen had left Isaac with the knowledge that she would leave her pen on her desk for him and would be expecting it come breakfast the following morning. A breakfast that she would be upset if they missed it. That was as close to an order as she could and would give them. If they rejected her, that would be unfortunate but there would be no specific retribution for ignoring her. It would however add some salt to their recently sweetened relationship.

  Isaac handed Lenna a change of clothes and then sat down across from the cleric in the sitting room while Lenna went to their bedroom to change into something less fragile.

  “Hello.” The old man who looked to be in his seventies greeted Isaac. His head was bald save for a well trimmed white beard, bushy eyebrows, and thin eyelashes. The top of his head looked like a pair of leather boots from decades in direct sunlight. His skin was a dark tan but it was hard to tell if it had started that way or had simply adapted to the constant sunlight. His robes were a perfect sunlight white with just enough of a hint of yellow to give the impression of a field of grass during a warm summer day. His eyes were the same brown as his skin though Isaac could hardly see them through his permanent squint.

  “Hello.” Isaac replied and calmly took one of the other two tea cups that the old man wasn’t using. The tea smelled like the simplest and most common green tea. The plant that could grow almost anywhere and almost everyone boiled it for its pleasant taste and hint of energy boosting properties.

  “I was told you want to know how to kill yourself.” The old man said out of the blue as Isaac was enjoying his tea. Isaac had been content to wait for Lenna to return but apparently the old man wanted to get right to the point.

  “Yes.” Isaac agreed. “It is only when one knows how others would fight them that they can form protections against it.”

  The old man nodded sagely. “But you are not a shadow sorcerer, so many lack the proper insights. That is why I am here.”

  “Oh?” Isaac wondered. “I must be honest, I expected to only find people who were versed in slaying my lesser kin. Have you…?” Isaac let his question hang open to see what the old man would say and was pleasantly surprised when he had hit the nail on the head.

  “Slain a black dragon? Yes.” The old man confirmed. “Though it was a long time ago and it was very, very young.”

  Amaranth Serentia V'Nova Wexler